Antiaircraft fire-control apparatus



March 27, 192& 1,663,575

S. J. VAN DEN BERGH ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed July 19.1926 Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

I ED i ES PATENT OFFICE,

SAMUEL J'OHANNESVAN'DENBERGH, 01F H AAG, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO THEFIRM:

N. V. 'NEDERLANSGHE INSTRUMENTEN GOMPAGN-IE, 0F HAAG, NETHERLANDS.

. ANTIAIBCRAFT FIRE-CONTROL APPARATUS.

Application filed -Ji11y 19, 192E}, Serial No. 123,516, and in GermanyJuly 25, 1925.

The invention relates to an antiaircraft fire control apparatus which isprovided with a telemeter and a sighting telescope, both beingadjustable in elevation and azimuth and so coupled to each other that alateral adjustment of the one always entails the same lateral adjustmentof the other, whereby the sighting telescope is conn'ected with an] armof a triangle-device, corresponding to the hypotenuse of a reeftangul'artriangle, andis further adjusted in elevation by altering the length ofthe cathetus of this triangle correspondingtothe height and thechart-distance of an aircraft.

According to, the present invention the arrangement is made in such away that the adjustment of the telemeter inele'vation is independent ofthe adjustment in elevation of the sighting telescope. This arrangementaliords the advantage over the one hitherto used, in which the sightingtelescope is rigidly connected to the telemeter, that the operator ofthe telemeter is independent of accidental incorrect adjustments inelevation of the sighting telescope which may be due to the temporarilyincorrect adjustment of the length of the one or the I other of the twocatheti of the said rectangu;

lar triangle.

Figs. 1 and 2 show in an elevation and a plan respectively a firecontrol apparatus constructed according to the present invention. r

On a casing 1, which is assumed to be rotatably supported about avertical axis X-X and in which the mechanisms for ascertaining thevarious data of firing are assumed to be located, there is disposed atelemeter 2 rotatable about a horizontal axis YY. 3 denotes a window onwhich the heignt at any one time of the object to which the telemeter isadjusted is indicated, and 4 a scale on which an index 5' fixed on thecasing 1 indicates the angle which the measuring plane of the telemeterembraces with the horizontal plane.

On the casing 1 there are further rotatably supported two screw spindles6 and 7 of like pitch, perpendicularly intersecting the axis of rotationY-Y of the telemeter, which spindles are coupled to each other foruniform rotation by means of two pairs of bevel wheels 8 and 9 and ashaft 10. The actuation is effected from a hand wheel 11 fixed on thespindle 6. A rotation of the two spindles entails a displacement of twonut-pieces along the spindles, the one of these nut-pieces, '12, restingon the spindle 6 and the other, '13, on the spindle 7, On thesenut-pieces there is rotatably supported a screw-spindle 14, paralleltothe axis Y-Y.

which is actuated by means of a bevel 1'5, fixed thereon andabevel wheellfi from a grooved shaft 17 parallel to thespindles 6 and 7,. alongwhich shaft the wheel 16 is displa'ceably disposed and which may berotated by a" hand'f wheel 18. "The wheel 16 is continuously kept inmesh with the ti'ons ofnut 20 about the axis of the spindl'e 1 1a Thenut 20 carries a pivot 22 parallel to the axis X -X, in which engages"an arm 23' with a groove 245supported on the casing 1 rotatable aboutthe axisZZ,paralleltc the axis On a scale 25, ninnbe'red according toheights and fixed on the guide rod21, the left-hand edgeof the nut piece20.indi'cates the components a falling into the direction of the axisY-.Y,f of the distance of the pivot 22 from the axis of rota tion ZZ ofthe arm 23. The component of this distance, falling into the directionof the screw-spindles 6 and 7, is denoted by b. A fixed index 26indicates on'a scale 27 of the arm 23 the angle a by which the arm isdisplaced out of its zero position in which it is parallel to thespindles 6 and 7. By means of a pivot 28 and a pair of bevel wheels 29the arm 23 is so connected to a sighting telescope 30 supportedrotatable about an axis TT, parallel to the axis of rotation Y-Y of thetelemeter 2, that the said telescope is always inclined to thehorizontal plane at the same angle a by which the arm 23 is displacedout of its Zero position.

The above described device is assumed to be coupled to the mechanisms,disposed inside the casing 1, in such a manner that the rotations of thetelescope about the axis TT, corresponding to the variations of theangle of height of the aircraft, and the displacement of the pivot 22along the spindles 6 and 7 (corresponding the variation of thechart-distance of the air-craft) and along the spindle 14 (correspondingto the Variation of the height of the aircraft) are suitably transmittedto these mechanisms.

The operation of the apparatus takes place in the following manner. Byrotating the using 1 about the axis XX and by rotating the hand wheels11 and 18 ot the telescope 30 an observer at the telescope 30 adjusts tothe aircraft for which the data of firing are to be obtained, andfollows, by continuous readjustment, the course of the aircraft. Theoperator of the telemeter 2 thereupon adjusts the teleineter by rotatingit about the axis Y Y in such a way that the index 5 indicates on thescale t the same angle or which is indicated by the index 26 on thescale 2?. Owing to the above arrangenient'the teleineter isthen adjustedto the same target as the telescope 80. The op erator of the telemeteris now continuously taking measurements and a third individualpermanently adjusts, by rotating the hand wheel 18, the nut-piece 20along the spindle 14 in such a way that the leftedge of the nut-piece 20indicates on the scale 25 the same height which is indicated on thewindow 3 of the teleineter. Thereby the observer at the telescope 30 isbound to permanently adjust, by rotating the hand wheel 11, thecomponent 6, corresponding to the chart-distance of the aircraft, of thedistance of the pivot 22 from the axis of rota tion ZZ in such a Waythat the telescope remains adjusted to the aircraft.

I claim:

1. In. an antiaircraft fire control apparatus a telenieter and asighting telescope, these two instruments being adjustable in eleva tionand azimuth, a carriage guide, a sliding carriage displaceable alongthis carriage guide, a second carriage guide fixed on the said slidingcarriage and being perpendicular to the first carriage guide, a secondsliding carriage displaceable along the second carriage guide, means fordisplacing the two sliding carriages in the carriage guides, a ruler,rotatable in a plane parallel to the two carriage guides, means adaptedto keep the second sliding carriage in contact with this ruler, meansfor coupling the ruler to the said sighting telescope, so that thesighting telescope rotates in elevation with a rotation of the rulerthrough the same angle, and means for coupling the sighting telescopeand the telemeter, so that both always laterally rotate through the sameangle.

2. In an antiaircrafttire control apparatus a base plate rotatable abouta vertical axis, a te-lenieter, supported on the base plate rotatableabout a horizontal axis, a sighting telescope, supported on the baseplate rotatable about a horizontal axis parallel to the horizontal axisof the telemeter, a carriage guide fixed on the base plate, a slidingcarriage displaceable along this carriage guide, a second carriage guidefixed on the said sliding carriage and being perpendicular to the firstcarriage guide, a second sliding carriage displaceable along the secondcarriage guide, means for displacing the two sliding carriages in thecarriage guides, a ruler supported on the base plate rotatable in aplane parallel to the two carriage guides, means adapted to keep thesecond sliding carriage in contactwith this ruler, and means forcoupling the ruler to the said sighting telescope, so that the sightingtelescope rotates in elevation with arotation of the ruler through thesame angle.

SAMUEL JOHANNES van den BERGH.

